Countdown to Armageddon
by Blue September
Summary: The gods have created a being Yami to pass judgement on humanity. Yaoi, Yami-angst, lil Seto-angst, very lil Bakura-angst Chapter8: Bakura almost gets himself gutted and other stuff. PG-13 but R for future content. R/R.
1. Prologue

Hi everybody and welcome to my new fic. Like my last one it's also about the past, but I like this one a lot better so far. Please bear with me as I plan on taking a lot of liberties with the history and religion. I tried really hard to work with or around it, but I gave up on that after everything became a major pain in the… you know where. I also mix a little Biblical stuff in the prologue, but go along with it. So just read and enjoy, and don't be frightened by the voice that likes to pop up every now and then. She lives in my head and you can just ignore her if you want. 

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September. 

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. If you have a problem with any of these criteria I suggest you turn back NOW! This fic was also clearly rated **R** and **by the rules of Fanficion.net** that means that it is _clearly labelled_ **not suited for people under the age of 17**. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters. 

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****

**Prologue:**

****

Long ago, in a forgotten time and place, there existed a beautiful garden. In it man, woman, bird and beast lived in peace. Life was good and despite their never-ending struggle for dominance over one another, light and dark were in balance. But every war has its battles. Some are won and some are lost. Unfortunately, darkness was the victor of this particular battle.

"Curiosity killed the cat," or so the old saying goes, but this time it nearly doomed all of humanity. 

An apple. That was all it took for the darkness to be released into this realm. A fruit. The forbidden fruit. 

Or… maybe… maybe it wasn't… a garden or even a fruit. Maybe it was a beautiful kingdom… and not an apple, but a box. The forbidden box. Pandora's box. Who knows? There are many tales as to how it came about and perhaps they all have some air of truth, but that doesn't matter now. What matters it what came of it, this mingling of light and dark. It can be described in one word: chaos. This was to be man's greatest discovery and most costly. They were… _the Heba.w-qubu_[1].

It isn't easy to say exactly what the Shadow Games are, but I suppose a fight is as good a word as any; a fight between opposing sides, each controlling some beast or other from the 'other side.' They were powerful creatures, with minds, hearts and wills of their own; something that man carelessly overlooked. For people to think that they could be tamed as easily as cattle was, when simply put, stupid. Soon the creatures turned on the ones they had called masters and gained their freedom. More and more powerful beings were foolishly brought into the world to help control their brethren, but they too only did as they pleased and the planet was brought to the brink of destruction.

The once stunning vistas were transformed. They became mere echoes of their former selves. The beautiful flora that once covered the grounds came to exist in only a few small patches of earth. The rest became barren clusters of rock or sand. Pain and pestilence spread casting a dark shadow across the land. Creatures, once foreign to this place, were able to roam freely, some simply existing, others wreaking havoc.

The gods looked down upon the people and their hearts filled with anger. Most wished to smite the peoples of Earth for their foolishness. Pride cometh before the fall: another old saying and a lesson that human beings would learn all too soon, for it was their pride that led them to believe that they could control the creatures of the Shadow Realm and now they roamed the countryside wild, annihilating all within their paths. 

However, Horus the falcon-headed Lord of the Living felt pity for his people. He pleaded with the Great One to allow them another chance and his request was granted. He created a magical gate at the opening between the two worlds, preventing more creatures from entering the human realm and seven magical items infusing each with its own unique powers. Then he sent them to Earth, soaring through the skies like beacons of hope, to allow the people to lock the creatures away. 

But, human hearts are easily corrupted by power and like the shadow beings the items also had their own wills. The weaker the mind the easier it was to manipulate and before the Dark Realm itself could be sealed away there erupted a great war between the nations. Each one wanted to gain control of all the items and the power they held and destruction once again reigned supreme.

Ra was truly ready to wipe the human race from existence this time but once again Horus intervened. 

"We may sit here and judge, Greatness, but being higher beings than they, there may be things that we ourselves may not understand about human nature. Please, I beg of thee, give them one more chance."

 Ra considered the argument and agreed, but this time things would be done his way. He summoned forth, Khnum and the seven Hathors and said unto them, "Forge me a being of human form, that I may bestow upon him power to control the darkness. When fifteen years have passed he shall be called upon as a judge and witness for all humanity. Should he find them worthy they will be delivered, but should mankind choose a path of evil they will perish at their own hands and be a plague unto the Earth no more."

As it was commanded so it was done. Khnum crafted the vessel, though it was not an easy task. There would be some differences for a mere human body would find it difficult to contain the powers of the gods themselves. He did his best, and though there were some tell-tale signs the child could easily pass for a human being. His fate was written by the Hathors; one that would allow him to experience mankind in the fullest. And, finally, he was granted the breath of life. The newly created being, bound to darkness and light alike, was sent to Earth, like the items before him, to pass judgment upon all of humanity. 

Seasons would pass and fifteen rains would come and go in the land of Egypt until that day when the seven Makaoa-kha-renput[2] would be reunited and the fate of all humanity would be decided.

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] Shadow games. _Shonen_ Jump_, February 2003 issue, p.312._

[2] Millennium/Sennen Items (basically). _Shonen__ Jump, February 2003 issue, p.312._

So please review and tell me what you think (point out any sp. and grammatical errors). I know that it's kind of short, but remember this is just the prologue it only sets the scene for what happens with the rest of the story. The rest of the chapters should be longer and chapter one will be up soon, so don't judge it by this, okay?! 

Ja ne!


	2. Family

Welcome!

This is the first real chapter of the story so read and review. This chapter {VIH: actually more like this whole story} is basically a product of listening to P!nk's _Family Portrait_ a few too many times over Christmas break. 

VIH: You'll see what she means after you read this and the next few chapters.

Yes I have actually been working on it _that long. It's also rated R for stuff that __will happen later._

 One more thing. The prologue as I said before just kind of sets the seen. It has practically nothing to do with the_ actual_ story yet. Sort of. *sigh* It's hard to explain. Just read and you'll get it. Go Mortals! READ!

VIH: ¬_¬u

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

skipping lines/a large gap indicates a scene change or passage of time.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters. 

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**Chapter 1: Family**

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It was dark. Night had long since descended upon the great city of Thebes. By now most were resting comfortably in their beds, but somewhere within the walls of the enormous, royal palace a soul was restless.

The 'small' room was lit only by the dim moonlight that penetrated the thin curtains of the tall windows, as they danced softly in the wind. Objects of all shapes and sizes littered the polished limestone floor, most made of gold some of wood and hide. They were one of few things that suggested the room belonged to a child. A large toy-chest sat in one corner, obviously unused, and in the opposite corner was a comfortable-looking couch and chair set along with a small worktable, also fit for a child.

On the other side of the room a small figure lay hidden beneath the lightly coloured sheets of the bed. He clutched the bedding firmly as he attempted to stifle his sniffles. He didn't want to cry. His father hated it when he cried. A four-year old was far too old for that, but he couldn't help it. 

He could still see his mother fall to the floor, eyes squeezed shut, clutching her swelling cheek and it was his fault. He'd just wanted to play a bit, but as his father put it: he was a prince, and a prince didn't have time for such childish nonsense. His mother of course, being the stubborn person she naturally was, had protested, saying that that was exactly what he was: a child and he should be allowed to enjoy himself once in a while. From there it had turned into yet another full blown argument that ended as usual with his father's hand making some sort of physical contact with some part of his mother's facial anatomy. 

The tears had threatened to spill then, but one stern look from his father forced them back. Now that he was alone it was harder to hold them in. He was certain that they had worse fights when they were alone too. He was young, not stupid. Many a night his mother would leave him with not a scratch on her and in the morning have horrible bruises that she tried to conceal. His father had spent his share of days with slight limps of his own. His mother was no pushover. Still, he hated it when they fought. The looks of absolute hatred on their faces, when they did, frightened him. He wondered sometimes how they had ever gotten together.

Sinking further into despair, he was startled when a pair of strong tanned arms wrapped around him and pulled him from under the covers into a warm embrace. He instantly snuggled into the figure recognizing it almost immediately. He looked up into the smiling face at a pair of loving honey-brown eyes, one of those hands moving to wipe the tears away from his own scarlet ones. 

"Mama," he whimpered. She kissed his forehead softly and pushed his golden bangs away from his face.

"_Shh_… Get some rest Ouji." Her fingers ran through her son's dark maroon and gold mane. He nodded lightly, exhausted, but glad for the company.

He always slept better with her close by and he loved the way she would rub his back slowly until he fell asleep. She pulled him closer so he could rest his head on her shoulder. He was slowly being lulled to sleep, but as he was he couldn't help but feel… bad? He didn't know how else to describe it, but knowing how much pain his mother had to be in and that she was still comforting him just gave him a horrible pang in his chest. He lifted one of his small hands and brushed it against his woman's bruised cheek. She winced, allowing a stray bead of water cascade down her face. He knew she was hurting and he wanted to return the favour. He did his best to wrap his small arms around her, some of his fingers getting tangled in her long black hair in the process, then carried on, gently stroking her back as she had done for him.

The queen couldn't hep but smile at the gesture. It was moments like this that she was glad she had been forced into marrying the man she now called husband. Her son was the only thing that made it all worthwhile and everyday she thanked every god she knew that he was nothing like his father. "Thank you."

"Welcome," he answered, obviously straining to stay awake and finish his task, but his mother would have none of that.

"Sleep now."

"But-"

"_Now." He pouted and she exhaled deeply and looked him straight in the eyes. "Do not fear little one. Soon you will have no more worries."_

The prince relented with a sigh. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what his mother meant, but he was too tired to think about it, so he gave in, letting the loving arms carry him off into the land of slumber.

Again. It had happened again. Twice in only three days, but this time it had been worse. He couldn't even remember what it had been about this time only… only the blood. The way it had poured down her face and unto the floor. They way he had screamed for them to stop, but they had only ignored him.

The figure once again lay tangled in silk sheets somehow managing to look even smaller than he had before. His arms were closed tightly around him in a vain attempt to stop himself from shaking, but he was just too terrified. 

He heard the door open this time, but didn't pay attention. As before he was pulled from beneath the sheets, but this time the other did not sit. She let him cry for a while until he was calm enough to speak then pulled him back.

"Ouji, I want you to listen closely. It's over. I promise. I need you to do exactly as I say alright?" He nodded, still not having found his voice yet. "Good." She set him down on the ground, reached under the bed and pulled some things out. 

'When did those get there?' he wondered to himself. One was a carrying-sack that she placed on the edge of the bed along with another item that looked like some sort of rope. It was a bit hard to tell in the darkness. Out of the pack she pulled some pieces of cloth and returned to the boy. "Hold still." She started wrapping one of them around his head, hiding his oddly coloured hair, like a turban. The other, larger piece she wrapped around his body giving the young prince the look of a commoner, then placed two tiny sandals on his feet. She went about the room for a while, grabbing a few things here and there and stuffing them into the bag. The child watched this with no small amount of curiosity. What was she doing? Were they going somewhere? Is that why they were dressed so funny? He didn't know the answers, but he was more than certain of one thing: He trusted his mother. Whatever she was doing it was probably for the best.

Soon she had finished gathering what she thought was important and closed the bag up. Next Ouji saw her tying one end of what he was now sure was rope to one of the posts at the foot of his bed. "Ouji come here." He obediently did as he was told and stepped forward. "Lift your arms up for me." Again he obeyed. The other end of the rope was then quickly fastened around his waist. Her hands were trembling as the tied it and she looked very nervous.

"Ow! It's too tight."

"I know, but it has to be for now." His mother stood taking him by the hand and walked him over to the window. He saw her look out and wave to something down at the bottom, he couldn't tell what though. He was barely tall enough for his finger-tips to reach the sill. 

His mother turned back around and crouched down to his level. "Trust me Ouji. Everything will be fine. Just do as I tell you okay?" He nodded. "I'm going to lower you down first. Then I'll come after you. Just hold on tight and don't look down." 

_Lower him down?! She hoisted the small child up and over to the window, then slowly released the rope's slack. She had been planning this for a while now and figured it was now or never. She couldn't put her son through that torment any longer. 'No more,' she thought to herself._

Ouji on the other hand, was doing his best not to look down. He grasped the rope tightly and squeezed his eyes shut until he felt strong hands hold him firmly. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Rudiju holding him. Rudiju was a middle-aged, blonde-haired man and his personal bodyguard. He had been since the prince was old enough to walk and wonder about the palace. They were a long line of exceedingly loyal, royal guards and the almost-white hair seemed to be a strong trait along the men in his family. He didn't think about that for very long though, for soon he was untied and his mother had made her way down the line, though, she too was now dressed like a peasant.

"Thank you so very much Rudiju." The Egyptian nodded in understanding. 

"Please Mistress; allow me to come with you. It isn't safe. The desert is full of many dangers and-"

"No, you mustn't. I may not know much, but I know enough magic to keep us safe. Besides, you've done more than enough for us. I could not ask you to betray your pharaoh any further."

"I have done nothing wrong. My duty is to protect the prince and do whatever is best for him. That is exactly what I am doing."

"I know. Thank you."

"Senbi is waiting for you. You must hurry before you are spotted. Take care my Queen. May Bes[1] guide and protect you both."

"I will and the same to you." She turned and picked up her still very confused son and hurried away from the scene. As they climbed through the well hidden opening in the palace perimeter the little prince could only wonder. Where were they going, what were they going to do, and most importantly, 'What about Papa?' Though it went unnoticed a soft golden light flickered for a moment on the boy's forehead.

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] A dwarf god believed to guard against evil spirits and misfortune.

Not what you expected, huh? I know it seems sappy right now, but trust me the angst does come in, if not in the next chapter then DEFINITELY the chapter after that. I'll try and make the chapters longer, but I can't make any promises. Please give me your honest opinions and any ideas you may have.


	3. Minhotep

Thanks everyone for reviewing. I hope that you guys like the way that the story is progressing so far. You know, when I started this fic it was nothing like this at all. It was another sappy, crappy fic that I thought up. Then I wrote out a monologue (that I can't tell you about or it would ruin the whole story) and the fic took a whole new turn and after a few more (and watching some story about an abused child on _Sixty Minutes) I ended up here. _

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto (Love that word!)

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

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**Chapter 2: Minhotep**

The sun bore down mercilessly upon the travelling trio as they approached yet another town. They had been travelling for months. The moon had gone full-cycle seven times now and the seasonal rains would soon arrive.

The queen looked across to her fellow traveller, riding proudly on her ass. Yes they could have probably taken some horses or camels from the royal stables, Ra knows it would have been faster, but the plan was to keep a low profile, asses being as low as one could go without walking.

"We are nearly there My Queen," said the queen's poorly-dressed, middle-aged companion.

"Yes I noticed. We should reach by night-fall. And you must stop referring to me like that. It's dangerous. Call me… Rai here and you will be… Abra." They had to change their names from town to town for fear of being caught. News as big as the disappearance of the queen and crowned prince spread quickly, so they needed to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Said monarch had cut her once waist-long black hair to shoulder-length and they had taken special precautions with the prince. With Ouji's unusual hair palate, he would have been especially easy to spot, so his spiky locks were trimmed short and dyed completely black to avoid suspicion. Nothing could really be done about his eye colour, but if he kept his head low or hooded they could just pass for dark brown rather than their natural blood red.

"Yes My- _uh madam."_

"Well, that's a little better. Ouji?" She looked down at the bundle in her arms. Ouji was riding with her, face buried comfortably in her stomach. "What would you like to be called while we're here?" He didn't answer (or move for that matter), but she hadn't really expected him to. He had become very unresponsive after a while and his mother knew that they couldn't run for much longer. It was having far too great an impact on her child. She glanced worriedly at Senbi who gave her a reassuring look.

She brought one of her hands from the reigns to grasp him firmly. "Not much longer now, I promise."

"You said that, weeks ago," said a small, muffled voice.

"I know-"

"_I want to go home… to Father!" he said looking up._

"…I… I know, but we can't."

"_Why?" he persisted._

"We just _can't." They fell into an uncomfortable silence after the unintentionally harsh remark. Ouji resettled himself in the rough fabric of his mothers dress._

"It's hot," he finally commented.

"I _know!"_

"And I'm tired."

"Then _sleep! We'll be there by the time you wake up."_

"Okay," he yawned, drifting off quickly.

The little prince awoke, finding himself, once again, in unfamiliar surroundings. He was in a small room with white-washed brick walls, a door, a small window propped open with a short pole, a set of simple wooden table and sitting cushions and a small uncomfortable bed on which he currently laid. It was obviously night. He rolled over bumping into a warm body, he found to be his mother. She was sleeping peacefully beside him. Senbi… wait Abra now, was probably in another inn or had checked in separately as usual. 

He was tired… no sick of constantly being on the move. They never stayed in any one town for more than a day, and more often than not they even camped out in the wild. His mother was surprisingly self-sufficient, not at all like the delicate flower one would expect looking at her. But that wasn't what bothered him. He knew that they had left for good reason, but he found himself actually missing the confines of his old home and most of all… he missed his father. No matter what he did he was still the only one he had and now he didn't even have that. And _oh what he wouldn't give for his own bed again. It wouldn't have to be fancy or even big, just his own. _

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to dream as he had so many times before, about a loving family, not rich, but well off, a mother and father that didn't fight, siblings… you know; the kind of life that innocence and naivety allow the young to believe can actually exist in this world. 

"Papa…"

Unknown to Ouji, his mother was in fact still awake and had heard his final words. 'We'll go tomorrow,' she decided. Then she too drifted to sleep.

A tall man stood on one of the many balconies of the large palace, his short, messy, darkly-coloured hair blowing slightly in his face. His deep, violet eyes were narrowed in thought, anger or possibly both. He stayed there silently looking out over the great city beneath him, his city. Yes, he could call it his own, as well as, much of what laid beyond, for he was Akunamukanon, pharaoh of all Egypt. His eyes closed loosely as the wind suddenly picked up, his cape and robes fluttering heavily. A heavy rumbling penetrated the silence and he looked up, cursing slightly as he did so. The skies were grey and overcast. The rains were here. It would make things more difficult. He had no doubt that his men would loose track of their quarry in the storm. They'd barely had a path to follow in the first place. All hope was lost now.

//No. All is not lost. We will find them and when we do they will be taught a lesson.//

/Yes, a lesson./

He smiled sinisterly as his thumb lightly stroked a point of the strange golden object hanging at his chest. "I'm coming for you."

Of all the years, the floods would have to pick that one to come early. The three travelers were currently riding out the particularly violent shower that had suddenly picked up. They had set out a few days ago and were now trying to keep warm by the heat of the fire in a cave they had managed to find. In a sense the queen supposed that it could be considered a blessing. There was no way that they could be tracked after this, and they would be free to head straight to their destination when the storm let up. All they had to do was wait.

"Master! Master!" A heavy set man burst through the thick wooden door. Behind a small desk sat a young, orange-haired, Egyptian man. He looked up from his 'work' on the table top and set his olive-coloured eyes on the person before him.

"Yes?" he said resting his chin in his hand. An irritated smile played across his lips.

"We've caught some trespassers on the grounds. They're being held out front."

"Trespassers? Do they look familiar, perhaps someone who isn't particularly fond of me?"

"Not really sir. Two of them are women and they have a child with them."

"Women? And a child…"

"Yes, and _uh_…" He inched a little closer and spoke in a whisper. "One of them isn't exactly hard on the eyes, if you get what I'm saying. _Heh__ heh heh!" _

The carrot-haired man sighed, rolling his eyes. "Is that all you think about? Honestly, you're a grown man."

The taller man huffed indignantly. "You're one to talk. You look like you've been working hard this evening," he said sarcastically, pointing to the golden pieces spread across the table.

"Ah, yes but it's healthy to have a hobby," he responded. At the same time he rose and swept the gold pieces into a similarly golden box and put the lid on top. He placed the object on a shelf behind him and turned to face his caller. "Come on. Let's go see these trespassers of yours." He led the other out of the room closing the door behind them. The two made their way through the many halls and corridors of the spacious home, greeting servants and workers along the way. As they exited the building, they were greeted by the cool night air of their lush oasis home. 

Looking down the short flight of stairs at the entrance of his dwelling the young man assessed the sight before him. There was a large, angry mob of people, all of whom he knew well, encircling a smaller bunch in the centre. The one that was facing him was a short older woman. Her head was mostly covered. The other one appeared to be holding a small child who looked terribly frightened by the angry villagers. He decided to put a stop to it.

"Enough!" he shouted. The crowd quieted immediately, and parted as he made his way over to them. "You may all return to your homes now. We will handle this," he said gesturing to the man that had summoned him. They offered no protest. They obviously held a great deal of respect for the man, who appeared to be somewhere in his twenties or so, despite his age. "Good evening," he told the travellers when the group had departed. "Forgive me for your less than hospitable welcome."

The younger woman set the child down, though he clung to her still, and stood again finally allowing the gentleman to get a proper view of her face. When he did his jaw all but hit the floor. The queen laughed lightly. "It's nice to see you too, Minhotep."

"K…Kiya?"

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

Well, what did you think? Were the time changes confusing at all? This story, like my other, has once again taken on a life of it's own. This is nothing like how I originally planned it, but I like how it's going. Thanks to you all for the suggestions. They really helped to shape the story.

**Rant:** Well, it's official. If I had somehow managed to convince myself otherwise, it's clear now that 4Kids has _RUINED_ Yu-gi-oh! What was that half-assed name that they gave Rishid? And they totally butchered that conversation between Yugi and Malik. They made it into another 'destiny/Pharaoh's powers' rant! Half of that stuff wasn't even what they actually discussed. Thank God for decent fan sites that have given me the right info that I might know that that _crap_ isn't really the true version! That's it.

**P.S.** Anzu is annoying and the whole series would be better if she disappeared.

VIH: Excuse her. She's just really pissed. Please drop us a review.


	4. The Vineyard

Wow! That sure took a long time. I blame it on writer's block… yeah…

VIH: _pft!_ Laziness, writer's block… what's the difference?

Hey I resemble- I mean resent that remark! Okay, so the chapter might be a little boring, but important things and explanations happen so don't skip it. It gets better after this I promise.

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain somewhere in this chapter.

/words/ - ditto

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

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**Chapter 3: The Vineyard**

"K…Kiya?"

"Well at least you remember my name." 

"What in the heavens are you doing here? How did you get here? What-"

"One question at a time _please!"_

"Sorry."

"_Ahem! Master Minhotep, I don't mean to interrupt, but don't you think that it would more appropriate to finish this conversation inside," said the forgotten servant. "The temperatures do tend to get low here at night."_

"_Hn? Oh yes I agree. Please won't you come in?" he said to the travellers. "Could you take their animals to the stables please? And while you're at it could you find the lady a room to stay in?"_

"Of course," said the manservant that had been addressed. He left to take the beasts to the hold, with Senbi in tow, while the rest entered the large home.

"Well I don't really know what I should say in a situation like this," said Minhotep after leading the group to a mid-sized sitting room. "Please, take a seat." He gestured to the large, low table with cushions around it and held out a hand to the young woman. Ouji quickly stepped in front of his mother, gripping her robes stiffly in his small hands, while he gave the unfamiliar man a rather solid glare. Minhotep had to take a step back at the intensity of the boy's ruby eyes. 'Pathetic. I'm cowering from a babe,' he mentally scolded. He put on his friendliest smile and stooped down too the child's level. "And who might you be little one?"

"Ouji," was the solid reply, the powerful stare never faltering.

"Ouji don't be rude," said the mother. "I'm sorry Min. It's just been a long day."

"It's alright. You don't have to apologise. I should only be glad to know that someone's been taking care of you, for me, all these years," he said fixing his gaze upon the woman, causing her cheeks to warm slightly. 

Min clapped his hands together, rising, and a servant girl entered through a door on his right. She bowed her head pleasantly at the master of the house and his guests then awaited his command.

"Fetch my guests something light to eat please. And have someone prepare two extra rooms."

"Yes sir," the girl answered sweetly and left to do her job. The food was quickly brought. It was just a simple assortment of fruits and bread, nothing heavy, because of the late hour.

Afterwards, Min allowed his servants to take over. They helped the two freshen themselves up after their long journey. Kiya, however, insisted on bathing her son herself for fear that the dye might wash out and his secret be discovered. When they were finished they were showed to their rooms.

"How long are we staying for this time?"

"I don't know. It depends on what Min says. If he's okay with it, then perhaps we'll stay for a long time."

"Honest? No more running."

"Not for a good while at least. Just behave yourself, alright?"

"_Uh-hu... Mommy?"_

"Yes?"

"Are we ever going back?"

There was no point in lying. It would do neither of them any good. "No we're not."

"Why?"

"Not tonight." She kissed his chubby, round cheek. "Sleep tight. I love you Ouji and try to be nice to Min."

"Okay. I love you too Mama."

"Is he sleeping?"

"Yes, and thank you for this Min-"

"Enough thanks. You know you can always ask anything of me… still it did come as a bit of a shock," he laughed uncomfortably.

"I know… and I completely understand if you want me to leave-"

"Kai, don't put words in my mouth. I never said that. Stay as long as you need all of you." There was a long silence. "So… will you tell me what this is about?"

She sighed long and hard. "I suppose you have a right to know since I am dragging you into this too… It's… It's my husband."

"The child's father?"

"Yes… I couldn't keep him around that man any longer. I feared for his safety… I still do. I had to leave… He's a violent man-"

"_Did he hurt you?"_

"…Sometimes…"

"And Ouji?"

"No. I don't think he would ever actually harm him, but…"

"I understand. You just didn't want him in that atmosphere."

"_Hm. Don't let him fool you. Ouji tries to act older than he is, because that's what his father's tried to make him believe he was supposed to be, but he's really just a kitten and I want him to stay like that."_

"So that's why you left him?"

"Yes."

"But why didn't you just go back home instead of coming all this way by yourselves? It's dangerous out there."

"It is, but it would have been even more so to go there. That's the first place he'd look."

"Look? You speak as if the man is after you."

"He is."

"What? But you have the right to leave a husband that treats you like that[1]."

"Maybe another woman, but not me."

"Kai?"

"There's something I never told you… About the man I married… It makes things a lot more complicated."

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid you might change your mind about us staying here once you hear this."

"I swear that I won't. Now tell me, why is he after you?"

"Well… you see, the truth is… the truth is… he's the pharaoh."

"… The… what?"

"Not what you were expecting, I'll wager." 

"Well… no, but… the thought did cross my mind briefly when I heard a woman and a child had shown up here. I mean when the heir to the throne is missing the news doesn't stay in one spot. Even the people here have heard. _Hm_…" A short mirthless laugh. "That certainly explains a lot."

"You mean about before?"

"Yes."

"…I didn't want to, you know. I only married him was because I had to. He _was_ the crowned prince. Neither my father nor I really had a choice in the matter. I couldn't disobey him and he couldn't disobey the pharaoh. He wanted me as a bride for his son and so I had to marry him, otherwise…" She looked away blushing slightly.

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise… I… I would have accepted your offer." 

They had been walking outside, getting some fresh air and were now heading past the stables. 

"Would you still accept my offer?"

Kiya stared at him completely shocked. "_W-What?_"

"Would you?"

"I… I don't know. I-It's a bit sudden don't you think… and Ouji and… I… can I… can I have some time… to think about this I mean?"

"All the time in the world," he purred, taking her hand and kissing it softly.

The king sat impatiently on his throne, waiting for news regarding the search for his missing son and 'wife'. A guard hesitantly entered the large hall to deliver the regular update.

"Well, any word?" he asked the soldier his irritation apparent.

"I'm afraid not Your Majesty[2]. We've searched all over and found no trace of them."

"_Humph! You are dismissed as are the rest of you," he said to the other guards, attendants and advisors in the room at the time; all but one. "Shimon!"_

This caught the attention of a small old man. The lower half of the man's face was covered by a small white veil, while the top was covered by a small hat-like wrap leaving only his eyes visible. He wore a simple white robe and slippers and had a long navy cape draped over his shoulders. "Sire?"

"Have the woman's father brought here. I'm going to question him myself."

"Yes my lord."

/I didn't want it to come to this./

//This isn't our fault. Traitors must be taught a lesson.//

"Ahmes."

"_Hm?" the pharaoh snapped out of his daze. "What is it?" He gave no protests to the old man addressing him by his proper name[3], as he had known him since childhood._

"I do not agree with this course of action, but as you are my king I will obey. However, I ask that should you find the child, please do not allow any harm to come to him."

"You know that I would not allow such a thing Shimon. I will not let anyone harm him and I thank you for your concern."

With that the old man bowed and left the room, but at the same time he thought to himself. 'It isn't the actions of others I fear my king, but your own.'

"_RISE AND SHINE!"_

"_Gah!" was Ouji's first word as he fell out of bed the next morning. "Wha?" he groaned sleepily and looked up from his position on the floor into a smiling red-headed face._

"Sorry," Min chuckled and helped him up. He rubbed his tired red eyes to remove the traces of sleep then yawned a few times while scratching himself all over. "Come on. You can't spend the whole day sleeping, it's nearly lunch time."

"Lunch time? Wow, I slept that long, but I _never_ get to sleep in." 

"Well you seemed very tired so we let you this time, but there are things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like me showing you around. As I take it, you'll be staying here for a while so we can't have you getting lost. So get dressed, come have some lunch, or breakfast for you and we'll go."

"Yeah!" 

Ouji spent the rest of that afternoon with Min wondering around the large estate. It was built on the edge of a large oasis and so had a lot of plant life around. The place was like a small town and as he soon discovered they all worked for Min and the estate was in fact a vineyard. Many of the 'villagers', young and old, were tending the fields, watering the grape vines and date trees[4], tilling the dirt, etcetera. He stuck close to Min as he introduced him to some of the women and children, then they went down to the cellars for a look around, so he could see how things were done. By the time they had finished it was nearly dinner time.

"So did you like what you saw?" asked the elder as they returned to the main house.

"Yes I did…" said Ouji, although somewhat sadly.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Ouji if there's something wrong you can tell me and I swear I won't tell anyone else."

"…Not even Mommy?"

"Not even her."

"Well… your home is nice… but… I miss _my_ home and my papa."

"Oh." He knew he should say something more but he just didn't know what. He couldn't just magically fix things. Then an idea struck him. "Come with me." Maybe he couldn't make him forget, but at least he could take his mind off of it for now. He led Ouji back to his study where he retrieved the golden box from the shelf. "Here, take this," he said tenderly. Ouji took the box.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Open it." He did.

"It's a puzzle."

"Yup," Min confirmed crouching down to his level. "I found it a long time ago when I used to travel a lot. I've been trying for years and I still haven't come anywhere close to solving it. Maybe you'll have better luck." 

"I… I can have it?" Min nodded.

"Have what?" The two boys turned to see Kiya stroll into the room.

"Mama! Mama look what Min gave me," the boy practically screamed, bouncing up and down.

"What is it?" the woman asked.

"An old toy that I had laying around. I thought he might like it." Kiya gave him a smile that he knew meant 'thank you' and he returned the motion. "It has some writing on the side as well. It says-"

"No, no I can do it. Wh-oo-ev-er ssss-ol-ves me shall in…in…inhe… Mama what's this word?"****

"Hm? Let me see… _uh… inherit."****_

"Oh. Shall inherit the no…no… _um…"****_

"Knowledge."****

"Knowledge and p-pow-erz of dar-kne-ss. So… 'Whoever solves me shall inherit the knowledge and powers of darkness.'"****

"Well, aren't you a fine reader?" Min noted, light-heartedly ruffling the boy's hair. Ouji beamed. He was beginning to like this Min fellow.****

"Uh-hu! I practice all the time. Mother makes me," he added in a playful whisper, causing Min to chuckle, "But… what does it mean?"****

"Well… I suppose it means that when you finish it, you get a big surprise!"****

"A surprise? _Wow! I can't wai-"****_

"Now hold on just a minute there," said the queen, taking the box. "I'm not sure I want him playing around with something like this. It sounds dangerous."****

"_Aww!" ****_

"Oh come on Kiya. It's just a simple children's toy." He took the box and returned it to its new owner, who was bubbling with excitement. "The inscriptions are probably just to make it easier to sell. Besides, look at how happy he is. Do you really want to take that away?" Ouji, who could take a hint, quickly adorned a full-on pout; teary eyes, quivering lip and all, that had the woman melting on the spot.****

"Alright! _Alright, he can keep it."****_

"_Yay! I'm gonna start on it right now!" he cheered running to his new quarters. Min had to laugh after the energetic boy, but his mother was still concerned.****_

'But it's only a toy, right? Right. I'm just being ridiculous. I mean, what harm could it possibly do?' ****

Another long day was coming to a close and Min was exhausted. He'd spent most of the week making preparation for his upcoming trip to a far-away city, where he had some business. Nothing out of the usual; just discussing and confirming some orders for ceremonial wine at a temple there. They were, however one of his most important, regular clients and he always made sure to deal with these people personally. Anyway, the point is he was tired and he was heading to his room for some well deserved rest, until of course he passed, by a room and noticed a sliver of light, peering out from under the door and into the dim hallway. Normally this wouldn't have been something out of the ordinary, but he knew that the lights in this particular room should be out at this time of the night.

He walked into the small room to find Ouji seated on the bed, his head bobbing every few seconds as he fought to stay awake and finish what he was doing.

"Ouji." His head darted 'round sharply at the sudden noise. 

"Min?"

"Have you been working on that all day?"

Ouji's tired eyes turned to stare out the window and he suddenly realized how late it already was. "I guess…"

Min sighed. "Ouji, I did give you the puzzle hoping that it would make you feel a bit better but-"

"It did! I love it a lot-"

"_But I wasn't hoping for you to keep yourself cooped up in here day and night. You should be outside more, playing with the other children."_

"I… I don't think they'd want to play with me."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're intelligent; you're very creative at least that's your mother tells me. I heard that you've made up tons of games on your own. Here's a thought. Why don't you play some of them with the village children?"

"But those games were all for one person. I never had anyone to play with so I had to think of things I could do by myself. I don't know any for lots of people."

"Is that the only problem," Min laughed. "I know quite a few games myself that we used to play when I was little. I could teach you a few of them if you want."

"Really? Thank you so much!" He threw his arms around the elder's neck almost choking him with his tight grip.

"Not a problem. I was quite the gamer as a child, you know" Min replied, with a smug yet goofy grin causing Ouji to giggle.

"I bet I can beat you."

"Is that so? Well then it's a challenge."

"You're so nice to me Min," said Ouji with a large yawn.

"Alright, to bed with you. Your mother will have my head if she finds out that you aren't sleeping yet." The boy slowly released his neck and climbed under the blanket yawning again. "Good night Ouji," he whispered to the already half-asleep child.

"Night…"

He smiled a little to himself as he watched the boy sleep and left the room quietly, extinguishing the lamp-flame on the way out. 

Alone in the darkness Ouji slept peacefully for the first time in a long while. Below him however something crept across the floor, slowly and haphazardly; something not of this world. The dark, smoky substance began to gather near the bed, forming a tall mound. Somewhere within the murky cloud two sharp, ice-blue eyes focused on sleeping youth, examining him as if under a modern-day microscope. Then in the blink of an eye it was gone, evaporated into the pleasant night air.****

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] Women were allowed to leave their husbands in Ancient Egypt. I used other info to make this fic. For the addresses look in my profile.

[2] I think it was when my class was doing _Hamlet, my teacher told us that referring to a King as Your Highness is a sort of disrespect, because Highness is lower than Majesty and it is like not acknowledging the fact that they are in this higher position. I think that is what Hamlet did to his uncle._

[3] Pharaoh's usually had a birth name and a throne name chosen when they ascended to the throne.

[4] I think we all know that most wine is made from grapes, but one of the main ingredients in Egyptian beer was date juice.

Man what a crappy chapter. I've gone into the fluff box again. 

VIH: I'll say. It was _SO_ sappy I'm sticky. I though you were moving away from that!

I know, but it just came out like that. It just kind of happens whenever I think of how adorable a four year-old Yami would be. _CUTIE! Besides, I say 'I love you' to my mom all the time… u_u _

VIH: _Whatever!_

Moving along… I had next to no inspiration writing this so it came out kind of _blah!_ I think the next chapter will be better. It's already partially written and most of the others are pretty well planned out. LOTS OF STUFF HAPPENS NEXT SO DON'T MISS IT! 

Also, I just wanted to make sure that we are all aware of who Shimon is. If you don't know say so in a review and I will clarify!


	5. Hide and Seek

Here's chapter four! Just a quick note: please remember the things that were said in the prologue. It will make parts of this fic easier to understand in the end. And in the immortal words of some dude I can't remember. 'Things are seldom as they appear.' 

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto 

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 4: Hide and Seek**

"_GWAAAAH!"___

"Another."

"_AAAAAH!"_

"Another."

"_GAAAAAAH!" He stayed face down on the floor, his feet still chained to the wall, as he desperately attempted to pull air into his lungs._

"That's enough. You're dismissed."

The guard strode from the cell, whip in hand. The door was closed by another, who stood guard outside, as he left the room. Akunamukanon stood tall, above the messy heap on the floor that could barely be distinguished as a man. He was somewhat elderly, white hair and whiskers adorning his head and grubby face. His skin was unnaturally dark, covered in grime, from years of lying in filth while imprisoned in the royal dungeons, far below the rest of civilization. His skin sagged and his stomach was slightly swollen; signs of malnutrition. He moved a little allowing himself to stare up at the younger man, but wincing at the pain it caused his bleeding back.

"I'm sure you grow weary of this game, old man, as do I, but until you tell me what I want to know your torment will continue."

"I… ha-have… al-ready told you… I know… n-othing," he choked out, voice hoarse from screaming and lack of water. A soft growl was his only warning as a firm kick connected with his side, leaving him gasping for air.

"_TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"___

"_I DO NOT… KNOW!"_

"Why should I believe you?" he started, beginning to pace. "You are her father and you expect be to trust that she would leave without a word to you? Even if she did you must have some idea as to where she might have gone. It's been three years and I've searched every city. She wouldn't have fled the country. It's too dangerous with the boy and I know, as much as I hate the _wench_, she isn't that stupid. So tell me. _Where are they hiding?_"

"I've… told you already, I do not know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, you… bastard. So do what… you want with me. I have nothing left. You've already taken eve-ry-thing I had. My only regret… will be that I ever got my daughter involved… with you. But I do not fear, for I kn-ow the gods will protect both her… and my grandson from the likes of _you!"_

The pharaoh was angry, no, beyond angry. He pulled his foot back, ready to strike the man again, but stopped. His face was calm; too calm. His demeanour was almost a complete switch. 

"Is that so," he said. "Then, it appears I have no more use for you. Well… perhaps one." He chuckled as the world darkened, and twisted around them, the strange item around his neck glowing all the while. The old man tiredly backed away wondering what was happening. After gaining some distance he realized that somehow he was no longer chained and stood shakily.

"Wh-What are… you… doing?" he asked suddenly finding it very difficult to breathe. He realized that his wounds had weakened him, but not this much.

"Simply setting the stage for our little game," he said smiling with a look of false innocence.

"G-Game?"

"Well, maybe 'race' would be more appropriate. The rules are simple." From behind the pharaoh the old man heard a faint hissing sound and out of the blackness a giant, black and white, spider-like insect appeared. There were really two main oddities about the spider. One was its size, obviously, and the other was its almost human head attached to the body by an elongated neck. Okay three oddities. "If you can outrun my Insect Queen," said the king, "you live. However, if you can't… I think you can figure the rest out for yourself. Let the games begin."

The old man stared open-mouthed at the creature coming at him. Instinctively he turned to run away, but didn't even get two steps before he felt himself being covered with a sticky yet silky substance. The more he struggled to free himself the more tangled he became. His back was covered, then his head, then it flowed down his front in gooey strings. Soon his whole body was covered and the gummy fibres began to dry into something more solid. The spider hissed again and returned to the darkness dragging its prey along with it. It would have a good meal tonight.

The black backdrop receded as it had come and the glow from the golden item faded as well.

//It's about time.//

/_Ugh… my head. That hurts./_

//Took you long enough to kill the wretch.//

/Be silent! I tire of your incessant nagging./

//Perhaps I wouldn't nag if you would simply do as I say. If you had we would have had this situation dealt with long ago.//

/How, by having me go on a massive killing spree?/

//If it gets the job done…//

/Despite what you think, I have my people to think of. Actions like that risk losing their faith in me./

//A bit late for that. You lost their faith the moment that woman crossed the palace walls, but I can help you to win it back.//

/…Fine. What is it you suggest I do?/

//I 'suggest', first of all, that you clean up this little mess.// The voice directed Akunamukanon to the lifeless mass on the floor. //Burn it or something. His soul will have no use for it any longer.//

/And then?/

//Then I suggest we pay a little visit to Sais[1].//

Sais: a busy town, full of hustle and bustle. The people were also not unused to have many distinguished persons from noblemen to pharaohs come through. This time however it caused quite the disturbance. 

Akunamukanon blazed into town along with hundreds of very threatening-looking soldiers. The leader of the district was simply told to have his soldiers help to round up all of the citizens. They all gathered together wondering what was happening, until someone realized that their king was standing before them. Rumours began to spread through the crowd at an alarming rate.

"Why do you think he's here?"

"I don't know."

"Do you suppose he's looking to take on another bride?"

"Could be."

"_Oh I hope he picks me! He's very handsome."_

Giggles.

"I don't know. I heard he has an _awful temper."_

"Yeah I heard that too."

"Same here."

"Me too."

"I head that's why Kiya ran off."

"_Really?"_

"I am sure that you are all aware that the crowned prince is still missing," the king began, silencing the crowd. "And by some traitorous hands the kidnapper has eluded my grasp, but not for much longer. I will not stand for treachery." He took this time to rove is piercing gaze over the members of the crowd. Most of them flinched under it and he held back a smirk.

//Weaklings.//

"Now, I know that the woman, who is no longer to be considered our queen, has friends here; that she has known many of you since childhood and I admire your loyalty, but remember. To lie with a traitor is to be one yourself. Someone here must have some knowledge as to where she might be. I understand that, whoever you are, you may be concerned for your safety. I am here to tell you that you have no need to be frightened, for no harm shall befall you, if come forward. However, if by tomorrow no one has come forth. Five people will be executed daily either until I get what I'm looking for, or until there is not a soul left alive within this city. I await your decisions." The king turned to head back to his temporary home at the nobleman's manor. 

The townspeople were in a flurry. What were they going to do? How in the hell were they supposed to know where she had gone? None of them knew the answer… except for one.

'But how could I ever betray Kiya like that?' a plump young woman asked herself. 'But it's her or the entire town. How can I not?' The crowd was dispersed, everyone returning to their routines, though slowly losing hope.

Khepera[2] was nearing the end of his daily journey across the sky, but the woman could not bring herself to return to her own home. She walked through the emptying streets of Sais observing the people she knew as friends and neighbours. There was a heavy air about tonight. Fear gripped the heart of every citizen, for they knew that the pharaoh would not hesitate to make good on his promise. Any one of them could be dead by the morrow.

"We're doomed," she heard someone say and stood still. The life of her childhood friend rested in her hands, but so did the lives of everyone around her.

'I can't let that happen.' She ran as quickly as possible to the home of their provincial leader, where she knew the pharaoh had taken up temporary residence. 

"Please let me see the Pharaoh. It's very important," she begged the guards at the gate.

"Stand back _woman," a guard spat in her face._

"Please wait. I-I have some information… about the prince." That got their attention. 

"Follow us," one ordered and she was led to the king. They lowered their heads in greeting.

"What do you want?"

"Majesty this woman claims to have information regarding the missing prince."

"_What?" Akunamukanon whirled strait over to the girl. "What is it you know? Well… _Spit it out!_"_

The woman cringed fearfully. "I-I'm not sure th-that this will help, b-but a long t-time ago there was a man-"

"A man? Who is he? Where can I find him?"

"P-Please Your Majesty," she squeaked, her whole body trembling with fear. "I d-don't know. I just know th-that he used to v-visit Miss Kiya and d-deliver wine to the temple for c-ceremonies. I-I believe he still does. Sh-She may be with him."

/The temple?/

//Quickly, we must go. They may be able to tell us how to find this man.//

/I agree, though I must say I was not expecting such a hasty response./

//See, you should listen to me more often.//

 "I thank you for your assistance."

"Of c-course Your Grace."

"Rudiju," he called to the guard following close behind him, "See that she is properly rewarded. I have some business to attend to at the temple."

"Yes Sire." The king departed.

'Kiya, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.'

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] I know nothing about Ancient Egyptian geography. I just needed the name of a town and this came up in the search.

[2] The scarab that pushes the sun disk across the sky.

I know it was a bit short, but fear not! Chapter 5 will be up later today! I promise!


	6. Lost and Found

This and the last chapter were originally one, but I decided to split them up. It forced me not to make the last one into a pile of crud. Enjoy! 

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto 

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 5: Lost and Found**

"Mother we're going!"

"Alright. I'll see you two this evening," shouted Kiya to her son and husband[1].

"Where are we going again father?" asked Ouji. Min smiled back at him. It was amazing that in the three short years since they had shown up at his door, he had come to think of the two, Kiya and Ouji, as his family.

"To teach you how to fish," he replied. "Book learning is important, I'll agree with your mother on that, but there are just some things a boy can't learn cooped up inside."

"Like what?" asked Ouji sarcastically. "How to sharpen a sick with a knife? Or may how to hit an animal with a sharp stick?"

"Alright, that's enough out of you," Min said, playfully shoving Ouji's still somewhat short, still black hair into his face. Even after all that time his mother's fears had not been fully assuaged. So she still kept her hair short and his hair black. At one point the woman had been damn near paranoid. She would barely allow him outside and if he did go he had to be almost completely covered up. Luckily, Min had managed to convince her that that was incredibly foolish in the hot climate.

Ouji laughed at his father's actions, raising his forearms to shove the large hands off his head, which lead to the next question.

"Why do you insist on bringing the puzzle with you everywhere you go?"

"Because it's important to me. I'll never let it out of my sight if I can help it." He hugged the cloth-wrapped buddle tightly to his chest. He couldn't really remember anymore when he had gotten it, just that his father had given it to him a long time ago. 

"Never mind. Just hurry up."

"Coming."

The two dashed through the thickening vegetation of the oasis heading to a shallow area of the central lake. Min was careful to stare them clear of the areas he had learned from experience were dangerous. 

They spent the day doing… well, as Ouji had put it sharpening sticks and throwing them at animals, fish really, but still they enjoyed themselves. In the end they had come up with only two fish, which they had for lunch and were completely drenched. In the afternoon both relaxed in the shade of a nearby palm, Min resting his eyes while Ouji worked away at the puzzle. Soon it was growing close to sunset.

"Come on Ouji it's time to go."

"Okay-" He pause smelling something in the air. "Papa, do you smell that?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It smells like something burning." Min did the same and noticed it too.

"_Aha!" he proclaimed strolling over to the water. "We forgot to douse the fire."_

"Oh yeah." Min quickly poured water on the almost forgotten flames and they headed back.

"Father, can we do that again?"

"Of course we can and we will until you catch something." Ouji pouted and Min laughed until…

"_You there! Halt!"_

Min turned to face whoever was addressing them, to find himself standing in front of a lot of unpleasant looking people with a large assortment of sharp looking objects.

 "So," said the figure most finely dressed. "We finally meet. Minhotep, I believe."

'_Oh no!' Min couldn't believe it. There was just no way… yet, if the crown on his head was any indication he could guess that the man before him was of course the pharaoh. He stood there, open-mouthed, with the most fearful look Ouji had ever seen on his features._

"Father?" He tugged on the man's kilt. "Father, what's wrong? Who is he?"

Akunamukanon felt his eye twitch at this. _His_ son was referring to another man as 'father' and didn't even recognise _him. At first he almost didn't recognise Ouji either, though. His hair was different, but the dye had faded a bit, from their romp in the water, revealing streaks of his red and golden hair and his eyes, his eyes were still the same as always. There was no mistaking who he was._

 "Ouji run."

"Wha-"

"_Run!"_

Still confused, Ouji tried to get away, but he had processed the information too slowly and was cut off by other guards who had managed to sneak around behind them. He kicked and struggled uselessly as he was picked up, dropping his parcel in the process. "_Let go! Put me down! Argh!"_

His eyes darted about and he saw his 'father' being forced to his knees by two of the intruder's men.

"Rudiju," commanded the pharaoh to a man behind him, "Read the charges."

"Yes Sire. Minhotep, you have been charge with kidnapping, harbouring wanted criminals and treason-"

"I deny the charges-"

"You have already been found guilty," interrupted Akunamukanon. Ouji's could barely believe his ears. His father a criminal? But he would never have done any of those things. And who were these strange men? How did they know his father? They hadn't even given him a chance to defend himself. "And I am sure that you know what the penalty for treason is." Min felt his throat constricting as a rather burly guard stepped forward holding what looked like a very well sharpened scimitar. He didn't even notice the small specks of red already on the guard's bare chest.

"Y-You can't be serious-" 

"Oh I am. _Deadly serious. There's a high price for touching anything that belongs to me; a lesson I am afraid you've learned far too late." The two men that had been holding Min suddenly shoved him over to another area of the clearing with a large tree stump. It was too conveniently placed and smoothly cut to have been natural. _

"_Stop it! You're wrong! My father hasn't done anything," came the voice of the only child present._

"_SILENCE!"_

"_NO! You can't do this!" The pharaoh moved towards the struggling child like a snake preparing to strike. _No one_, prince or peasant spoke to him that way._

"Please Your Majesty." The king whirled around to see who had dared to interrupt him at that moment. Rudiju.

"_What is it?"_

"The child is just upset. Please allow me to take him back until you're finished here." Rudiju thanked the gods that his voice came out so sturdy despite his quivering insides. Akunamukanon was a strong leader. There was no doubt about that, but the man was known to be unstable and had a flaring temper. Few were bold enough to get in his path when he was angered.

/Perhaps that is for the best./

//No. The boy must be taught to respect you.//

/…But-/

//Remember, I am the one who has gotten us this far.//

/…/

"The boy will stay."

"But sire-"

"_He will stay!"_

"Please." It was Min. "Please don't let him see this."

"_Papa?"_

"Please take him back."

"My order stands. Commence the execution."

"_Papa..."_

"Ouji look away."

The weapon was raised slowly. "_No don't-" It came down with lethal precision. The earth became an unnatural shade of red as the blood leaked down the side of the stump and into the light brown soil. Still and quiet the body laid there, the clothing also slowly changing colour. The loving face that the young boy had come to know as 'father' now stared lifelessly ahead, eyes forever frozen wide in shock. Though they tried to hide it, all grimaced inwardly. It _was_ a gruesome sight.___

"… f… f… _FATHER!_"

 Ouji jerked his hand free, to run to the fallen man's side, but he was once more seized by the guards. "_NO! NO! NO!_" he repeated in shock. His arms flailed, he kicked and screamed with all his strength, but could not brake free. The pharaoh, tired of the display, simply grabbed the crying child by the collar and pulled him along. Rudiju noticing the forgotten package, picked it up, and then turned with the rest heading back to the vineyard leaving the corpse without a second glance.

The scene at the vineyard wasn't much better. 

'Everything… Everything's burning!' 

There were even more soldiers there when they returned and everything was in ruins. The houses, the stables, the crops, everything was either on fire or had been smashed to pieces and everyone was standing there watching. Why? Because they could do nothing else. The soldiers made sure of that. They set everything of fire and refused to let anyone get close enough to put it out. So the inhabitants of the once beautiful oasis had to suffer and stand by as their homes and all of their hard work went up in smoke.

As he watched the horrific scene, something occurred to the prince. "Mother?" He looked around, but he didn't see her in the crowd. "Mother? Senbi? _Mother!_" This time more urgently. Where was she? He couldn't see her anywhere. He had to find her. Digging his heels into the ground, he tried to stop himself being dragged away, but only received a more forceful pull on his garment, nearly causing him to trip. "Let me _go! Mother!_ Let me find her. Where are you? _Mother-uh!_"

"Rudiju take the boy. I tired of his constant whining," said Akunamukanon practically throwing the small boy at his bodyguard. "And make a note of this place. There's a water hole here. I want this place cleared out by tonight. These people will know that I won't stand for treachery."

"Yes sir!"

Within the crowds, a small figure, a few years older than the prince, watched as his home was slowly reduced to a smouldering pile of ash. His cocoa-brown eyes were filled with raged as he saw the royal caravan depart. It wasn't fair. They'd worked so hard. That year had bound to be a plentiful harvest and it had taken a lot of effort. After all, man, woman and child worked here. It wasn't all fun and games and now… now they had nothing. After all that… nothing. No food, no homes, no hope. If it was the last thing he did _someone was going to pay far this! "One day, I'll get you back. I swear!"_

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

 [1] As far as I've read there was no real marital ceremony in the Egyptian culture. People just made an agreement and moved in together. If anyone knows different feel free to correct me.

VIH: Finally some _blood!_

*sniff* So sad!

VIH: See I told you shouldn't have listened to that Sarah McLachlan song so many times.

I know. I know, but it's so good. You guys know the one I'm talking about; the one from _Toy Story 2_. I was listening to it as I wrote this chapter. Isn't it the saddest thing ever?

VIH: Yeah, yeah, yeah… but that's not why we're here. Drop us a _review_ please, and give us your ideas and opinions.

Yep! Next chapter might take a while to come out though. I'm changing it from my original idea, but trust me it's for the best, especially if you're a SETO fan! *wink* *wink* 

VIH: AND what did you guys think of the characterizations?

Did they seem viable to you guys? Tell me. *sniff*

VIH: _Turn it off already!_


	7. Blue Eyes

As you will soon discover, I love to play on the idea of history repeating itself and I'll be jumping around, time-wise for the next few chapters.

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto 

\_lots of words_\ – flashback/the past 

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 6: Blue Eyes**

The auburn-haired boy worked the wet rag in circles as he cleaned the smooth marble floors. His small frame was already finely sculpted from years of labour, despite his young age, which, by the way, was about nine. Though from his activities one might think him a servant, his attire said otherwise: simple yet elegant. He wore a plain white skirt, with the slightest hint of gold embroidered at the bottom. It normally fell just about his knees. Pure gold manacles fitted his, upper arms, wrists and ankles and he had no shoes on lest they dirty the floor he'd already cleaned. The mid-morning sun shone through the arches of the grand, palace hall and absently he cursed under his breath. 

"Stupid what's-his-face. 'You need to learn the meaning of hard work,'" he mimicked. "_Tch! My _ass_. How in the name of Geb[1] did I end up here in the first place?"_

\_Seth ran barefoot through the dusty streets, back to his home, where he would rest with the others. The others were children like him, children with no one to look after them, but themselves. They had all lost their parents in some way or another, or had simply been abandoned. Seth was however different from them in that respect, though. No one, including the little brown-haired boy himself, knew where Seth had come from. One day he was just there._

_There had been a certain excitement in the air that day, for the queen was expecting. All prayed for a son, as the pharaoh had yet to produce a male heir. According to those who had been at the shores of the __Nile__, a little blue-eyed two-year old all of a sudden climbed out of the water as if he had just been swimming and was bored. There were no parents, or any other relatives, just the sopping wet child. _

_The queen bore a son._

_After that Seth had been taken in by the rest of the parent-less children. Most of the adults were afraid of him, not because of his sudden appearance. No, that wasn't it at all. It was in his eyes._

_Seth had the most piercing blue gaze they had ever seen. Their unusual colour was deep, powerful and over all frightening. So they stayed away, but not the orphans. Many of them knew what it was like to be alone and were sympathetic. They became his family and as he grew he learned their ways. They each found whatever work they could and shared what they earned. That way, no one would starve. They didn't have much, but it was enough._

_Once in a while some unfortunately child-less couple would take one of them in[2]. Those were the lucky ones and Seth longed to be one of them, but that would never happen to him. The people of __Thebes__ were very superstitious and they tended to fear what they didn't understand. Seth always tried to keep as far out of their ways as possible in case that fear somehow blossomed into hate as it has a tendency to do. Not to mention the fact that strange things seemed to happen around him. As he continued home, he recalled the night he had run into some trouble._

_Three men had been chasing him. After the little food he'd been able to purchase for himself and the others. They had cornered him in an alley and he closed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever they were going to do. That's when he'd heard it, a strange growling sound, then screams and finally a bright flash of light. He heard the low growl – no, purring sound again and felt an unusually warm breeze brush against his neck. Startled, he spun around quickly… only to find himself standing right in front of the orphan house. How he had gotten there was yet another mystery, but at least he was safe._

_The point, however, was that he was different. Different equals strange and strange does not equal good. So he had come to terms with the fact that he'd never be taken in. But that all changed a few years later…\_

"Oh yeah… almost forgot about that." Seth sighed deeply and pushed the dirtied bowl of water over to a dry section of the floor preparing to clean again.

\_"Seth! Seth! Wake UP!"_

_"Mmm… What?" he grumbled rolling over on his mat. He'd been working hard that morning and was taking a nap. He also didn't really feel like being disturbed._

_"Get up or you'll miss it!" He cracked open an eye and saw a girl with two, black, braided pig-tails. She was very thin, but who there wasn't? He sadly realized that she wasn't going to stop bothering him until did what she said and got up._

_"Miss what?"_

_"You haven't heard?"_

_"Would you please just tell me what you're talking about or I'm gonna go back to sleep." The girl who was by the way older and taller than Seth grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him out of their stuffy, one-room, mud-brick home. "Where are you taking me-ah!" Seth used his other hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight as he was dragged outside. The girl stopped. "What was that for?"_

_"Look," she said pointing down the road towards the inner parts of the bustling city. Seth once again did as told and was surprised at what he saw. A small group of royal soldiers and servants were marching towards them. The servants carried a heavy burden upon their shoulders._

_"Is that… the king?"_

_"No, but close. It's the High Priest, Genubath."_

_"High Priest? But what is he doing down here?" They didn't exactly live in the most respectable part of town. In fact, their home was nothing more than an old abandoned building. Many questionable characters also roved these streets. His first thought was that perhaps they were there to arrest someone, but no. They hardly had enough soldiers for that, especially if it was someone important enough to bring the High Priest out. So then, what?_

_"That's why I dragged you out here! He's looking for a boy to become his heir. I heard his wife couldn't have any children, so he's here looking for one to take in."_

_"Oh. Is that it? I'm going back inside."_

_"WHAT!? What do you mean 'is that it?'" the girl screamed, momentarily catching the attention of the other gathered children. "For all you know he could wind up choosing you-"_

_"HA! Rai, you have to be kidding, right?" said another boy laughing. He looked to be around Rai's age with short, nappy hair._

_"Shut up Iry!" she shouted back. "Seth has just as good a chance as you."_

_"Yeah right! Not little demon-boy over there."_

_"SHUT UP! And don't call me that!" yelled Seth. He never really liked Iry, because quite frankly he was a jerk. He used every opportunity he could find to put him down. He figured that it was because he liked Rai and she always spent so much time with Seth, but he couldn't help it if she preferred his winning personality, over Iry's bastardly one. _

_"What are you gonna do about it demon-boy?" he taunted._

_"Don't."_

_"Demon-boy…" _

_"I said, 'Stop!'"_

_"Demon-boy…"_

_"STOP IT!" That was it. He'd gone too far. Seth launched himself right at the other boy sending them both crashing to the ground in a heap. They rolled and rolled both trying to get the upper hand. They other children screamed and cheered around them, some chanting Iry's name and others his. Eventually, Seth managed to pin the other beneath him and proceeded to pummel him into the dirt with tiny, but powerful fists. Iry tried to fight the smaller boy off, but only ended up with a bleeding lip and nose. Finally, he realized that Seth really meant business and that he had no chance._

_"Stop!" he cried. "You win! YOU WIN!" But Seth wasn't listening. He was sick of it, all the teasing and taunting. Well enough was enough. He was going to teach him not to mess with him. Iry, by now was doing everything he could to cover his head. "Get him off me!"_

_Seth suddenly felt himself being hoisted off the other boy. Some of the other kids, Iry's friends, had decided to help him out, but they found the task harder than expected. He almost broke free a couple of times before he started to calm down. None of them had known he was that strong, including Seth. Iry wiped some of the blood from his face and gazed at his dirtied hand in mild horror._

_"What are you, crazy kid?"_

_His anger slowly ebbing away, Seth noticed the other children were all quiet and staring at him as if he really was a… a… _

_"You there."___

_Everyone turned to see who had called out. Forgotten by all the High Priest and his entourage had actually reached them. He was a well-built man with a heavy, dark moustache and eyebrows. He was well dressed, wearing ridiculously, tall hat signifying his position, a lot of fine, gold jewellery, fancy-looking sandals and what-not. What caught Seth's eye, though, was the strange golden trinket he held tightly in his hand. It looked like some sort of miniature staff; a thin, round handle and a large bulbous end with a strange symbol he recognised as the left eye of Horus, and it was pointed straight at him._

_"Who…" wondered Seth, looking around, "me?"_

_"Yes you. Come here." Seth gulped nervously, but made his way over the man. He towered a few good feet above the eight year old. "What is your name?"_

_"I don't really have one sir, but the people around here call me Seth," he said, staring at the ground and doing his best not to appear frightened._

_"Seth? Why is that?"_

_"I guess they think that I'm some kind of evil spirit or something[3]," he said shrugging. "I don't know why though." _

_"That's not true," someone shouted. Iry. Oh, how Seth wanted to punch his face in, again. "He's a little demon, that one. He'll bring you bad-"_

_"I don't recall ever giving you permission to speak, urchin," said Genubath, sneering at the other boy. "Do so again and you'll lose your tongue." Iry suddenly had nothing else to say._

_The priest turned back to Seth crossing his arms. He stared at him for a long time saying nothing, but making the boy extremely anxious all the same. "Do you know who I am?" he finally asked._

_"Yes sir. You're the Lord High Priest Genubath." Genubath smirked a little at the boy's rigid posture and formality._

_"Good. And do you know why it is that I'm here?"_

_"I believe so sir. I heard… that you were looking for a child, but it was only gossip sir. People here will believe anything," he said joking slightly trying to loosen himself up and maybe priest as well._

_"True. Very True." The priest paused again as if thinking how to continue the conversation. "Look at me," he ordered._

_'Damn,' thought Seth. He really didn't want to. At this range the High Priest would undoubtedly be able to tell why they called him a demon and maybe he'd be afraid too, only being a priest instead of a commoner the consequences could be worse. He could almost feel Iry smirking behind him. "Lord Genubath I don't think someone like myself is worthy of such an honour." He felt like gagging inwardly. He sounded like such an arse-kisser, it almost made him sick._

_"Are you disobeying me?" asked the man coldly. _

_'Oh great.'__ Now he really had no choice, for the priest was obviously losing his patience. He looked up._

_The priest's own coal, black eyes widened minutely in surprise, before the stoic expression on his face was replaced. _

_"Interesting. Turn around," he ordered and Seth complied. He stood silently as he was slowly appraised. "A little on the scrawny side, but you'll do."_

_"D-do?" 'Is he saying what I think he's saying?'_

_"Yes you'll do," said Genubath climbing back into his lift. He motioned to the empty space beside him. "Get on."_

_Seth was unable to move for a moment, but when he was he climbed on as well. He couldn't believe it. Rai was right. He was… wanted.\_

Sighing discontentedly Seth through the wet cloth into the bowl of water and decided to take a rest. He had been doing this for most of the morning and his hands and knees were close to being rubbed raw. He stood and intertwined his fingers pushing them towards the sky to stretch his sore muscles. After earning a few good cracks, he dropped himself heavily onto the floor, resting his arms behind his head, knees pulled up, praying that Genubath wouldn't find him dawdling. Then again he was a bit too tired to care right now.

"Besides, what am I anyway, a servant?" He closed his eyes allowing his thoughts to drift. "_Humph! I liked it better at the orphan house. At least there I had a choice…" 'At least there… it was like family. I thought that's what was getting coming here.' He absently ran his finger along an old scar on his left shoulder. "Boy was I wrong."_

\_For the first few weeks Seth was the happiest he had ever been. Servants attended to his every whim. He was well clothed, cleaned and fed. His life was perfect. It didn't, however, last very long. Eventually the training began._

_As Genubath's new son, he would one day be expected to take on the role of High Priest; therefore he had to be prepared. He was taught and tutored by some of the finest minds in the Egyptian palace and all of __Egypt__ for that matter. It was soon discovered that Seth was quite talented. Within a few months he was able to read a write a few simple things so Genubath decided to start him early on some lower level magic, which he would teach Seth himself.\___

Seth shivered slightly as he thought of those nights, one in particular.

\_Light magic, simple or complicated, was not easy. Seth had been practicing for days and had still not been able to light the oil lamp with his magic. This would be his fifth attempt that night._

_He held his palms outwards and concentrated on the shiny metal lamp, then further onto the oil inside, carefully willing the heat to rise. Softly he chanted the spell over and over, praying that it would work. Genubath looked as if he was growing impatient. Afraid of what might happen, he accidentally sent a strong pulse of magic into the lamp causing it to explode and hot oil to go flying. Luckily it missed him, but a loud wail alerted him to the fact that Genubath had not been so lucky. Hurried over to inspect the damage, but was caught off guard when the golden item came down across his left shoulder, one of two sharp wing-like pieces attached to the orb, jabbing into his flesh._

_"AAH!"_

_"You foolish brat," spat Genubath, as Seth lay on the ground clutching his bleeding shoulder. "Haven't you learned a thing?" he screamed, now giving the boy a good kick to the gut. "Get up and damn-it, do it right this time!"\_

'And it only got worse after that.' "Bastard," he grumbled. "I can never do anything right to him. I bet if he told me to jump off the roof and die, he'd complain I didn't jump far enough, or that I fell too quickly." He snorted.

"Why would anyone do a stupid thing like that?" someone asked. Seth eyes jolted open, at the sound, and he realised that someone was leaning over him. He found himself staring into a pair of unfamiliar red eyes. "_Um_… Hi."

Pale, but muscular, arms loosely wrapped themselves around an almost equally pale neck. Gold mingled with lilac as the fairer of the two rested his chin atop his lovers head. He inhaled the sweet sent of the light-purple hair lovingly, his pointed ears twitching ever so slightly with delight.

"Dreams again love?" he questioned. His only reply was a loud sigh and he pulled the other sitting at the edge of their bed closer, closing is golden-orange eyes. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do? Is there anything different about them?"

"A bit. It's only happened recently though."

"Care to share?" asked the blonde, as he brushed the other's long hair aside. Sliding his hands to the other's bare shoulders he began to massage the muscles lightly, slowly easing away the tension.

"_Mmm__… I used to see the red-eyed shadow and another one, but never together at the same time."_

"And now?"

"Now they are; the red one and the other hovering close by. And I can feel them drawing nearer somehow. If I could only figure out what it's supposed to mean."

"I'm sure you will Caligo, just give it some more time and I'll be there for you when you do." The shorter, short-haired man was pulled into the other's lap where he gazed into his lovers blue depths.

"Thank you Cyric, my love." said the blue-eyed man, smiling and kissed him deeply.

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] My own Egyptian version of 'how on Earth…'

[2] I'm not sure as to how the adoption process worked in Ancient Egypt. I just know that it was done.

[3] There was a time when Seth wasn't a very well liked god.

Wow! That took forever. I think this has been the longest chapter so far.

VIH: Yeah! Maybe you should go do your homework now…

Both: …BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

HAHA! That's a good one. *wipes tear from eye* Yeah… So could you tell who the two guys at the end were?  PLEASE leave us a **REVIEW** and take a guess! It would be greatly appreciated.

VIH: There is also one more important note.** VOTE to decide whether or not the gang (i.e. Jou, Anzu and Honda) should be in this fic too. We need to know so we can write the next chapter.**

I hadn't originally planned on it, but I kind of like the idea. Depending on what you guys decide I'll see. Ja!

P.S. Don't worry if you're an Anzu lover I won't be bashing her (intentionally).


	8. New Acquaintances

Sorry this one took so long. I had a lot of homework. Plus I recently got a major rush of inspiration for this story (later chapters) and I _had to right it all down. n_n Congratulations to Solitaire for being the _first_ person to figure out who those two fellows were! _

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto 

\_lots of words_\ – flashback 

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some OOCness in some of the characters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 7: New Acquaintances**

"_FATHER!"_

 Ouji jerked awake for the second time that night. Panting hard and covered in sweat he slid his face into his palms, waiting for the images fade away. It had been a few days since their arrival in Thebes, and every night he was plagued by the same nightmare; the blade, the body, the blood. 

'Why?' he asked himself. 'Why did this happen?' He knew the answer though. It was because of him; because of who he was: the crowned prince of Egypt. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but the evidence had been thrown right in his face.

\_They had just arrived in __Thebes_ a few hours ago. There were joyous cheers coming from the crowd as they entered the city, but he hadn't paid attention to them Ouji was still lost in his own world, hoping and praying beyond belief that this was still all just some nightmare that he was having trouble waking up from. And when he did wake, his mother and father would be there as usual and everything would be the same as always. But in his heart he knew that would never happen.__

_He was in his new room, apparently. It was rather big. As a matter of fact he had a whole wing of the palace to himself. He remembered someone explaining that to him on his way there and something about a tour later… but back to the room. It was very spacious. There was a huge bed to right when he entered the room, decorated with fine silken sheets. At the end of the bed was a large chest full of extra clothes and beside a nicely carved night stand with a censer atop it, silently filling the room with the scent of burning incense. In the corner beside the stand was a full-body, polished-silver mirror and next to that was a vanity table covered in different, scented oils and a little make-up. On the other side of the room was a small entryway, covered by a long red curtain. He knew from earlier snooping that a personal study lay behind it. In the middle of the room was a couch and small table with sitting cushions around it, probably there in case he decided to eat in private or entertain a guest. A few shelves and cabinets for personal belongings lined the masterfully carved walls. Across from the double-door that had let him into the room was another pair of doors somewhat smaller than the previous. It was framed on both sides by a set of tall, curtained windows. The door itself led to a small balcony with steps leading down to his own private courtyard-garden. The person from before had assured him that it was protected by the strongest magic, so he needn't worry about attacks, though, attacks from whom, he hadn't figured out yet. Perhaps he would look around it later, but for the moment he would have been content to just curl up in a corner and die and since he couldn't do the latter the former would have to do. _

_Ouji__ sat in the corner nearest the bed, knees to his chest with his arms pulling them closer. There was no point in crying any more, but at least he could sulk. He still had no idea what was going on. No one had told him anything. People kept referring to him as 'Your Highness' and he didn't know why. The most he had managed to figure out was that the man who had attacked them was actually the pharaoh. 'So, everyone must think I'm someone else that looks like me. Must be important.' He fingered a strand of golden hair. 'Kind of hard to imagine, though, with my looks.' He stirred from his thoughts when he heard a soft rapping at the chamber door, but decided to ignore it._

_The person on the other side must have figured it out and decided to enter on his own. When Ouji sat up he saw a man entering. From his eyes and posture he could tell that the man was elderly. Actually that was all he could really go by. The only parts of the man he could actually see were his eyes and hands. His body was covered in long, but thin robes indicating that he was of high stature and on his head was a small cylindrical hat with an eye in the centre. A small, cloth, veil covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his deep purple eyes visible. Behind him a servant-woman trailed, holding a tray of food._

_The old man crossed the room looking for the child and finally spotted him in the corner. "Greetings Your Highness and how are we this fine evening?" Ouji couldn't see his mouth, but the look in his eyes told him that the old man was smiling._

_"Wh-Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, looking ready to bolt._

_"Ah yes," continued the old man, as if he hadn't noticed the boy's discomfort. "I suppose it is only natural that you would not remember me. After all, it has been nearly three years since I last saw you. My how you've grown."_

_"Three… years?"___

_"Yes my boy and I imagine that you must be hungry after such a long journey. Set the food down and you are dismissed," he said to the woman. She did as she was told and left. The man returned his gaze to the boy and laughed when he saw the suspicious expression on his face. "What is the matter Ouji? I can assure you the food is not poisoned." _

_Ouji__ shot him another apprehensive look before moving over to the table to sample some of the food. Choosing a sweet-looking slice of honeydew, he bit in and licked his lips in appreciation, not having realized how hungry he really was. _

_"See?" said the old man. Ouji nodded._

_"Whoof-" He swallowed. "Who are you?"_

_"My name is Shimon and since you obviously wouldn't remember this either, your Royal Caretaker and Principal Tutor."_

_Ouji__ peered at the man still just as confused as before and asked, "How is it that everyone here seems to know who I am? I'm sure that I've never met any of you before."_

_Shimon nearly choked on the air he was breathing. "You… you mean you no nothing of this place at all?"_

_"No, not really.__ Should I?" _

_Shimon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He couldn't believe that something this important had been kept from the boy and worse still no one had even informed him of why he was brought here. "Ouji," he said placing his hands on the child's shoulders, "There are certain things… that you should be made aware of. However, I believe your father should be the one to tell you-"_

_"My father is dead," said Ouji flatly, before returning to the melon._

_"…I… I beg your pardon?" Shimon questioned, not sure he'd heard right._

_"He's dead… my father…" the boy repeated, placing the empty fruit-skin back on the tray. "They killed him… I saw…"_

_"But… but Highness… I'm afraid I do not understand. Was it not your father who brought you here just today?"_

_"No. You're all confusing me with someone else," he explained. "They're the men who killed my father. I was right there. They killed him without even giving him a chance to defend himself and then they destroyed our home!" He looked away from Shimon trying to fight the oncoming tears. "I think they killed Mother too, because… she wouldn't come when I was calling and then they brought me here." _

_Shimon shook his head sadly. Ouji was more mixed-up than he'd thought. How was he going to explain this? He was well aware of the fact that it probably wasn't going to go over well either._

_ "Come here," he finally said taking the boy by the arm and pulling him over to the mirror despite some slight resistance. _

_Ouji__ looked at his reflection. He'd been washed and dressed in new tunic, jewellery and slippers and the dye from his shorted hair had all been washed out, but other than that he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"_

_"Just a moment."__ He scurried over to the vanity, retrieving a small, round, hand-held mirror and returned to stand behind Ouji. He turned the boy slightly to the side, telling him, "Watch." He pulled his robe down a little, exposing the area of his back just below the neck. His fingers traced something that Ouji couldn't see, until he angled the hand-held mirror correctly allowing the image to reflect into the larger one._

_"What… What is that?" Ouji asked studying the strange mark at the base of his neck. It looked like some kind of bird._

_"It is a hawk; the symbol of Horus and a sign of your royal lineage." _

_"R-Royal?"___

_"Yes. It is the mark of the pharaoh, given to you as a babe, proof that you are the true heir to the throne. You see Ouji; the man who brought you here is not only the pharaoh. He is also your father."_

_Ouji__ spun around to face Shimon, puzzled expression on his face. "My… my… no… we lived at a vineyard… I-I can't be a… prince… I'm not!"_

_"Highness-"_

_"No! I-I'm not 'Highness'. I'm not 'Prince'. I'm not anything!" he shouted backing up to the bed. "And that man is not my father. He's just a murderer!"_

_"Ouji-"_

_"NO!" he screamed again. "It's not true!" He closed his eyes and covered his ears, trying to block the words. "I don't believe you. You're a liar!" Shimon moved over to the boy again to try and pry his hands away._

_"Ouji, please listen-"_

_"Don't touch me!" he cried, shaking his head hysterically. Tears were rolling down his face. This couldn't be true. It just couldn't. That would mean that everything he'd known – Min; the Vineyard – was all fake. Was his mother really even his mother?_

_Shimon stepped back, wanting to give the boy a chance to calm himself. He had been afraid of something like this happening since the beginning of the whole ordeal. That taking him away would only do more harm than good. "Please Ouji, I need you to settle down," he said, approaching him more cautiously this time._

_"Stay… away from me!" he sniffed._

_"It's alright. I won't harm-"_

_"I said, STAY BACK!"_

_The old man's heart nearly stopped, as a large dent made itself known in the floor tiling with a loud CRACK! He counted himself lucky, for if he had taken another step it might very well have been him instead. He looked up from the mini-crater and just barely glimpsed the fading symbol on the boy's forehead. Deciding it would not be wise to press the issue any further, he chose the leave the boy be. But before he left…_

_"Oh! Rudiju tells me that this belongs to you." He pulled a small parcel from his robes and placed it on the ground. "I'll just leave it here. Goodnight Ouji." And he left._

_Ouji__ slid to the floor in a broken heap. "It's a lie," he sobbed. "It's all just a big lie. It has to be." He laid there for a while trying to convince himself that none of this were true. It wasn't really happening. He'd wake up and his mother would pull him into her lap and rub his back just like always. He opened his watery eyes and spotted the package Shimon had left for him within arms reach. After dragging it closer he un-wrapped it and started at its content. "My puzzle…" he said pulling it to his chest. He hugged his golden treasure tightly taking comfort in the strange warmth that seemed to radiate from it and fell asleep. _

_That was how he spent his first night as an Egyptian prince; asleep on a cold stone floor.\_

Ouji wiped the dampness from his face and climbed out of the oversized bed. He didn't feel like going back to sleep – nightmares – so he might as well do something productive. He went to the end of the bed and opened the clothes chest. Almost falling in as he dug through it, he finally found what he was looking for, the puzzle. After nearly losing it, he decided not to carry it around anymore and figured that the chest was as good a hiding place as any, at least until he found a better one.

A gentle breeze blew through the window, not too warm, but not too cold. Perfect. He'd go outside and work on it. He pushed open the light wooden doors to the garden, walked out onto the small outcrop and skipped down the steps. The garden was so beautiful especially with the light from the full moon shining on it. It gave off an air of magic. A sudden calm washed over him. 

The first few yards before him were paved in limestone, five or six large potted plants scattered around the edge. Perfect for play, but for now he felt like being surrounded by nature, 'like back home.' Behind the terrace lay the actual garden which was where he set out for. The plants were thick and green. Clearly a lot of effort went into keeping them watered and healthy. There were many different breeds, but he couldn't really tell them apart in the dark.

Very little moonlight could get through anymore and he was beginning to think that maybe the middle of the night hadn't been the best time to go exploring. 'Was there someone in that bush?' 

Just as he began to think he had lost his way in the maze-like arrangement he stumbled upon a small clearing. Unconsciously, he released a sigh of relief that he could see – though barely – where he was again. He found that place to actually be a small man-made fish pond. (Well, he assumed there were fish in it.) He could hear the melody of chirping crickets and croaking toads as they filled the night sky, calming him once more. Settling himself beside the risen, pool's edge he set to work on the puzzle.

After piecing a good third of it together, he was once again stuck. 'Maybe if I just try until I find a piece that'll fit…' He reached into the box and pulled out another golden piece. It was a special one, he could tell. It was different from all the others in that while they were mostly plain; it had an eye engraved on the center. He'd seen similar symbols all over this place; on the king's crown and on his weird gold pendant, on Shimon's hat and other places, he was sure. The dull lighting of the full moon reflected off the shiny surface making it almost seem to glow. Ouji found himself lost in the mystery of the strange marking. He couldn't tear his eyes away and so didn't notice the shadows quickly forming around him.

Twisting and churning, ebbing and flowing, they gathered themselves into a pitch black heap right behind the hypnotised boy. Gradually they began to take the shape of a human being.

Ouji was still staring at the puzzle piece when a strange shadow started to block the moonlight. Abruptly out of his daze, he wondered what the shadow could be. It wasn't there before and… 

'…It wasn't there before? Uh-oh…' 

Afraid of what he might find, he slowly turned around and was almost frozen by a pair of bright blue eyes. Well perhaps not so much 'frozen' as scared out of his mind. He quickly got to his feet dropping everything but the box and stared at the man.

The stranger had long straight lilac hair. He was very tall as well and wore a simple light-purple garb that stopped just above his ankles. Over it laid a black robe with delicate, little designs embroidered in dull, silver at the sleeves, hem and collar. On his feet he wore a pair of matching shoes. He had an ominous feeling about him. He practically oozed darkness, but something about him seemed… seemed… Ouji couldn't describe it. He looked the man up and down taking in every detail. In his hand he held a long turquoise staff, with a pointed tip and a glassy, green orb lodged at the end. 

"E-Ex-c-cuse me, b-but wh… wh-wh-who-"

"Please. Speak slowly. I cannot understand you when you stutter," he said stepping down from the ledge.

"S-Sorry-_um… Sorry." _

"Better."

"Who… are you… may I ask?"

"Magus Caligo, though most simply address me as Caligo, of the Black Magician Clan, and you must be my master. A little younger than I expected though. Who is it you wish me to fight? I am at your service," he said lowering himself to one knee.

"_Uh… What are you talking about?" asked Ouji. Why was everything always confusing?_

"Well, where is the opponent you wish me to battle? That is why you summoned me here, is it not?"

"Summoned? No, I didn't summon anybody."

"But I am sure this isn't my world. I can feel it. If you did not call me how is it that I am here?"

"I don't know," shrugged Ouji. "I was just sitting there, playing with my puzzle and then you showed up." 

The magician looked pensive. "_Hmm… That sounds nothing like the rituals I have been told of."_

"Oh… So," began the child, a bit timidly, "You don't look much like anyone I've ever seen. Where did you come from?"

"I come from a village high upon the Mountains of Mars" he said, rising, "surrounding the Shadow Plains. I am a g…" He trailed of when he realized from Ouji's facial expression that something was off. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no… well… Sorry, I've just never heard of it."

"Well… There's no doubting now that I'm no longer in my Realm. Even the smallest of children know of the Mountains of Mars. So _this_ is the Human Realm," he added looking around. "I suppose then that that must make you a human, correct?" 

"Of course, what else would I be silly?" he answered a little warming up to the stranger a bit.

"I don't know," he replied observing the boy suspiciously. "How do I know you are not something else, an evil spirit perhaps, who brought me here to destroy me? Or worse, a spy sent to gather information regarding my clan, preparing for an attack?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, that makes more sense. Why else would a child be in the middle of the forest, alone, at this time of night?" He raised his staff threateningly and pointed it right at Ouji's forehead. "Well?"

"I…I…I… I…"

"I thought so." The glassy orb began to glow brightly, quickly filling with energy. "Prepare to be vanquished _fiend!"_

"_Please don't kill me!" Ouji screamed, raising the puzzle box as a protective shield._

The magician caught sight of the box and immediately dropped to his hands and knees. 'It's one of the seven…' "Please. I am sorry. Forgive me Master! I had no idea!"

"…_Uh… _uh_… I-It's okay," said Ouji, still backing away fearfully. "Really it is."_

"No it isn't! I almost caused you harm. I deserve to be punished. No less than fifty lashes Master please!"

The magician seemed truly remorseful and Ouji felt some – though not all – of his fear fade. "I-It's alright. Honest! I forgive you and you don't have to call me master. Ouji's just fine."

"No Master I _couldn't!"_

'Oh boy!' he thought to himself. 'Well I'm the master right…' "Okay then. I order you to call me Ouji."

"But Master-"

"Y-You have to do what I say, right?" A nod. "Then call me Ouji… and could you please stand? It's weird having people bow down to you." Caligo rose, albeit hesitantly and looked down at the boy, who smiled up at him. "See, that's better, right?"

"Yes it is. Thank you little one." He smiled back. Then something came to him. "Why then, if you are not are not a fiend, are you out here all by yourself? Are you lost young one?"

"Oh, no, I was just walking… but I guess I did lose my way a little."

"Would you like me to help you get back?"

Ouji smiled sheepishly. "Would you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, just let me get the rest of my puzzle," he said dashing over to the fallen pieces and placing them in the box. "Ready." He got a bit of a surprise when Caligo, strode over and picked him up with one arm. "_Whoa!" He grabbed the mage's neck with his empty arm, to steady himself as he was lifted._

"This way is faster," was the explanation. To Ouji's amazement the staff once again shone, causing a playful wind picked up around them. Suddenly they were lifted into the air and propelled with wicked speed through the brush. 

The boy laughed in mirth, excitement and a little bit of fear as his hair whipped around his face. It was almost like flying or at least what he imagined flying would feel like. 

Unfortunately, the ride came to an end all too quickly when they reached the terrace and Caligo saw for the first time where the boy lived. 'A palace. And it looks enormous. Which means, that forest wasn't a forest at all.' He looked behind him as they landed to make sure. 'A garden.' He shook his head slightly at the thought of being lost in a garden and set the boy down.

"Wow! Can we do that again?"

"Perhaps another time. I imagine you should return to your chambers before someone notices your absence." Ouji looked up at the sky. Already it had started to lighten. Someone might indeed come to check on him in a while.

"Alright, but will you come play with me again… Caligo?"

"Yes Caligo and I will try," he said ruffling the boy's hair. 'Interesting colours,' he noted for the first time. 'And his eyes… my dreams… Could he have something to do with them? Is this what they've been trying to tell me?'

"Okay." Ouji ran back up the steps to his room, squinting, when he reached the top. The rising sun's light bombarded his vision. He turned back to say goodbye to his newly made friend. "See you Ca-_un?_"

But there was no one.

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

Wahoo! Another chapter out and I really do like this version better compared to my other one.

VIH: Same here.

I'm still working on improving my description though, any suggestions? On a side note, I wish I could write this much when I have an essay due… I've also just come to realize that my initials are BS.

VIH: *snickers*

*glares* Next chapterYami _officially_ meets Seto. **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. Ali Baba

Yeah! I did a whole lot of rereading and revising, so this chapter took a while. Thanks to _kimi no vanilla_ for the info on 'Ouji.' Someone told me that before and I thought I had fixed it, but I guess somewhere in the process of reviewing and reloading that happened.  I know everyone's expecting Yami and Seto, but first you get a bonus character. Read ahead!

~*~

"words" – speech

'words' – thought 

//words// - I'll explain later

/words/ - ditto 

\_lots of words_\ – flashback 

Large gaps mean a scene or time change.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of Blue September.

**Warnings:** This fic contains Yaoi and some amounts of graphic violence. You may also notice some **OOCness** in some of the characters.

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**Chapter 8: Ali Baba**

He was hot, tired and thirstier than he had ever been. His entire body ached with each step he took, but he could not stop. Stopping meant death. So he continued, trudging on hour after endless hour, until finally…

"A city." His voice was low and ragged after days without water, the last remnants of his body's moisture pasting long, silky, white hair to his forehead. With renewed hope he made his way to the town gates, weary legs doing their best to remain steady on the ever-shifting sand.

The city's gatekeeper eyed him strangely, but said nothing, for he was merely a child. He hardly noticed the hustle and bustle of the people around him, selling and buying, chatting and playing. Only one thought was on his mind. 'Water.' Everything else could be dealt with later. Right now he needed water.

He stumbled around frantically searching for a water source, but it took a while to find. He had never before left his quiet home, so this was very much a new experience. Finally, when he just about felt ready to give in he spied the well. With whatever strength he had left, he found his way over and very laboriously brought up some water. He cupped his hands together, dipping them into the cool, clear liquid and downed it hardly taking breadths between handfuls. It spilled down his chin and onto his worn clothing, but it didn't matter. He was much too thirsty to be caring about petty things like manners. 

After drinking his fill, he walked over to a nearby alleyway, darkened by the mid-afternoon shadows and collapsed.

He regained consciousness some hours later. The sun-disk had already begun it's descent into the Underworld. His head throbbed, every joint in his body stiff as he slumped tiredly against the alley wall. He worked desperately to rise, pushing against the wall for support and finally made it to his feet. He stood still, momentarily catching his breath and trying with all his might to keep his eyes in focus.

True his need for water had been temporarily satisfied, but now the need for nourishment had finally caught up. He needed food – anything – he'd settle for a rotten fig. His stomach loudly voiced its agreement making him groan.

How would he get food? He had no money and he would _not_ lower himself to begging. He'd die, starve – hell he'd steal first-

Eyes widening, the boy gulped as the thought crossed his mind. Steal? Could he really bring himself to do that? Well, what were his options? Beg – _never_. Sit in the alley and wither away – not exactly the intelligent thing to do. The only logical action was to steal something. He crept to the end of the alleyway and carefully peeked around the corner. The day was coming to a close and everyone was packing up. It would be stupid to try and steal from the merchants now. There were no customers to help distract them and he would most likely only end up handless or worse… dead.

Sighing, he quietly shrunk back into the shadows. What could he do? Perhaps when they're all asleep? Of course! His face brightened a bit as the thought occurred to him. He'd just have to wait until everyone was asleep and sneak in. Simple, no? He settled back for the wait.

The boy moved down the street as quickly as possible while trying to remain in the shadows. He'd drifted to sleep again and it was dark out by the time he awoke. He passed by the smaller houses barely sparing them a glance. The people there were likely poor enough; he would not steal from them. He did, after all have _some morals. As he neared the centre the flats grew in size. He also found, to his dismay, that these people were well aware of the likelihood of them being robbed and shut their homes quite securely. Front doors, back doors, windows; all shut tight, until he realised he could go no further. The homes ahead of him belonged to the very wealth and it was very likely that guards would be patrolling the area. 'Yup,' he confirmed slipping into another alley as two burly men strolled past, curved swords hanging at their waists. He turned back, deciding to try the other end of the town._

"_Damn-it!" he cursed softly an hour later. How could he be so positively cursed that not _one_ god-damned door would open? Even hungrier now and on the verge of giving up, he tried one more door._

It opened.

'_Yes!' he cheered inwardly, not wanting to make a sound and screw this up. He stepped inside, closing the door quietly, behind him. It was pitch black inside. 'Alright, bad idea.' He reopened it slightly, just enough to let some light in._

The home appeared to be multi-roomed, which was good for him, because it meant he could look around without having to worry too much about waking someone. All his thoughts abruptly ceased. Even in the dark he could make the small form on the table. Any missing information was quickly filled in by his sense of smell. Chicken.

In an instant he was at the table. It was cold, it was in scraps, but it was there and it was _food. He stuffed piece after piece into his mouth, nearly choking as he did so. '_Gods!_ Today must be my lucky-'_

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

'Shite.'

He heard the door slam shut and held back a cry when his back collided with the floor. Somewhat disoriented from the impact he could barely fight back as he was rolled onto his stomach, his arms pinned behind him by what felt like a knee and his head restrained at the neck. Light flooded the room, so he assumed someone had lit a lamp. From the grumbles and many pairs of feet he could see at his eyelevel he assumed there were a lot of people in the room.

"Don't you know stealing is against the law, kid?" said the closest pair of feet, apparently the leader's. A few snickers could be heard in the back.

"Sorry, I'm afraid I haven't brushed up on my law recently," he retorted evenly. Ah yes, if there was one thing he's always been proud of, it was his smart mouth.

"That's a sharp tongue you've got there."

"Why thank you," he murmured into the packed dirt, but was quickly shut up by the very shiny, very _pointy object he glimpsed now sticking up out of the floor beside him._

"They can be very dangerous when used stupidly." He could feel the words against his ear. "Perhaps we should remove it before it becomes too troublesome."

Swallowing with great difficulty, he managed to find his voice. "I'm very sure it's just fine where it is, thanks."

The leader was silent for a moment then let out a billowing laugh and it really got on his nerves. One minute he was being threatened, the next laughed at. Couldn't the guy decide on a mood? It was really rather irritating.

"What's your name kid?"

"What is it to you?" he bit out.

"Hey, watch it," the person holding him down warned, applying a bit more pressure to further relay his point.

"My name is Kuenre and I'm _not a kid. I'm almost eleven." The entire room filled with laughter, making him flush slightly from the embarrassment. _

"'Almost eleven.' _Ha!" the leader laughed. "I like you kid. Let him up." He was suddenly hoisted to his feet. "__Oi, what say you men? We could always use an extra hand about, young blood and all that. 'Sides, you've got to be pretty smart and pretty gutsy to have broken into our place. You feel like joining us, kid?" _

Kuenre looked around the room. Nothing, but the lowest filth, surrounded him; the scum of the earth. Just his luck that he would try to steal a meal from a bunch of thieves. At least they liked him – he decided it best not to mention that he'd only gotten in because the door was unlocked – but could he really join them? Once again, options? Beggar on the street or a well-off cutthroat? Besides, would they really let him leave alive if he didn't. Plus in a group like this he could definitely gain the opportunity to back at a certain _bastard_ sovereign. 

"Well," he was asked again, "What do you say?"

He looked him straight in the eye. "Hell yeah."

Ouji aimlessly wandered the grand halls of the city-like palace, having lost his guide somewhere along the way. He didn't really mind though. He'd much rather play with that Caligo person anyway and he figured he must be somewhere around. It wasn't as if he was an easy person to miss. Blue eyes and long purple hair weren't exactly common traits among Egyptian people. Then again, he _had been looking for a considerable amount of time now with no luck at all. Perhaps he should ask someone._

Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was and the hallway he was in was completely empty… well, almost. A royal pet tabby happily purred, rubbing itself against his feet.

Ouji chuckled as he bent down to pet the little kitten. "Do you know where the person I'm looking for is?" he asked not expecting a reply. The little black and grey feline tipped its head in a curious manner peering back at the boy with large grey eyes.

"_Miuw!" it answered before turning quickly and scampering down the hall._

"Hey wait!" called Ouji, hurrying after the cat. He laughed playfully as he chased it. "I'm catching up!" To is surprise the kitten seemed to understand him and moved even faster. "No fair!" he called again running out of breath, but enjoying himself all the same. This was an interesting game of cat and mouse.

"_Miuw!" the kitten cried as it rounded the corner, Ouji only seconds behind._

"Huh?" He stopped short. Where was the cat? He'd been right on its tail before they turned the corner and now it had just vanished. 'Does everything here do that?' he wondered, recalling how Caligo too had simply disappeared.

He looked down the passage. It wasn't very long and there was only one door at the very end. Maybe the kitten had gotten in there somehow. That was the only possible explanation. He ran towards the door and found it closed. 'It had to have gone in there,' he reasoned. 'Maybe it blew shut?' Shrugging, he quietly slipped into the room.

Immediately, he was struck with a sense of awe. It was big, to say the least. A cavernous ceiling stretched high into the sky a small opening in the top. Massive pillars carved into the shapes of various gods of his homeland held it steady. The walls and roof were delicately carved and painted; depicting scenes and pictures of alien creatures, the likes of which Ouji had never seen. To one end was a tall, but low seated throne. One of the longer sides of the rectangular room was completely open, allowing the sun's rays to shine through and visitors a splendid view of the town below. "Wow," he whispered reverently, admiring the sight, from his spot by the door. He was just about to explore the room further when something caught his ear, a soft mumbling.

He couldn't decipher words from his position, so with a helpful shove from childish curiosity he snuck 'round the side of a column, still hidden, but closer to the source of the sound. He poked his head around the side and was a bit relieved by the sight. A boy, looking somewhere around his age, maybe a bit older, lay sprawled out on the ground. Nothing to really worry about.

He debated for a second on whether or not he should approach him, never having been one much for interaction with people his own age. Though he didn't know why, the image of his father came to him at the thought; the crop of red hair, smiling eyes and an odd feeling of déjà vu. Lips moved, mouthing the words of a long forgotten conversation and though he couldn't hear him, Ouji knew he wanted him to go forward. Pushing the more depressing thoughts aside he strode forward, silently wishing he still had the puzzle with him. He always felt better with it close by.

The brown-haired boy on the floor seemed deep in thought, speaking to himself. "Bastard," he said. Ouji approached him treading lightly – a personal trait of his. He crouched down beside the boy not really wanting to disturb him. "I can never do anything right to him," the boy complained. "I bet if he told me to jump off the roof and die, he'd complain I didn't jump far enough, or that I fell too quickly."

His curiosity got the better of him, again. "Why would anyone do a stupid thing like that?" Ouji asked, resting his jaws in his palms. The other boy stiffened suddenly and his eyes shot open. He stood abruptly and Ouji rose too. "_Um_… Hi," he greeted lamely. On the up side he hadn't stuttered like that embarrassing bit last night. Then again, it had only been a few seconds. "_Um… _uh_…__I-uh…" See? Just give it a moment or two and that good old foot will always find its way right back to its old friend mouth._

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Seth demanded, glad that it hadn't been Genubath who had found him, but still a little miffed about being disturbed and _startled by some short kid with funny-looking hair._

'I got lost and I was chasing after my cat,' thought Ouji. 'That's all you have to say. Now say it.' He took a deep breath. "I… c-cat… lost… _um_…" he sputtered, speaking much louder than was probably necessary. The other boy looked at him as if he was speaking gibberish – oh wait – he was. 'Why can't my head and my mouth ever work together?' he wondered internally.

"Come again."

"… _uh… I-"_

"Price Ouji!" someone yelled from the doorway. "Thank goodness I found you. I was afraid you were lost – oh and good-day Seth."

"Asru[1]!" both boys chimed, Ouji seeming relieved, Seth feeling a headache coming on. Another child around their aged skipped into the room, but this time a girl. She had shoulder-length, russet-coloured hair and eyes, a puffy fringe across her forehead and a bright, cheerful smile, though her face quickly became stern as she approached them.

"Price Ouji, you really shouldn't go wondering off like that in a place this big," she scolded hands on small hips. "And you know, we really aren't allowed in here."

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I saw a really interesting statue and went to get a closer look. When I turned back around you were gone. I really didn't mean to ditch you." He hadn't even stumbled over his words a bit he noticed. Something about the young girl seemed to have that effect. She had such a motherly/sisterly air about her, it was just naturally calming. 

Warm and friendly all the way through Asru had become almost an instant friend. It probably would have been sooner had he been focused on 'friendship' when he'd first arrived. If he recalled correctly, she was the daughter of one of the pharaoh's six main priests and the one who had given him his first brief tour.

The charming smile returned to her face. "It's fine. I was just worried that you'd end up roaming the halls for hours and miss the banquet." 

The banquet! He'd forgotten. Tonight was the night he was supposed to be formally 'presented' as the heir to the throne. 'They make it sound like such a big honour,' he thought, embittered. He was interrupted again by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Oh, have you two been properly introduced?" Asru questioned.

"_Um… no," Ouji replied, taking a quick glance back at Seth. He stood, arms crossed, with a deep scowl etched across his face, his deep blue eyes hard and cold. Blue eyes… and Ouji was suddenly reminded that he had been looking for Caligo. 'Oh well, later. _Hmm_… funny, he sort of looks like him. I wonder if they're related.'_

"Well then let me," Asru continued. "Highness allow me to introduce Setkhu[2]-"

"_Seth." Seth barked. "My name is Seth and don't forget it." Genubath had tried to change his name to something more appropriate after taking him in, but he refused to answer to it. He could do anything else he wanted, but his name had been the only thing Seth had ever truly owned and he refused to give it up. Despite the fact that it was meant to degrade him, he wore it proudly._

Asru rolled her eyes. She honestly didn't understand the boy's insistence upon using that name. "_Fine. This is 'Seth' – High Priest in training. And Seth this is-"_

"Thank you Asru, but I _can add," Seth drawled, referring to the fact that he'd already determined who Ouji was. "Highness." He tipped his head respectfully._

Ouji, feeling very awkward with all the formality, copied the motion. "Seth." The young priest-to-be fixed him under his harsh stare. 'Why is he looking at me like that?'

Sensing the tension Asru chose to defuse the situation. "Prince Ouji, would you like me to help you get ready for tonight?"

"Oh, yes thank you."

"Alright. Let's go. We'll see you tonight then Seth," she called back as she and Ouji headed out the door. Her response was an affirming grunt.

Once they stepped out of the room Ouji immediately released a loud sigh, his shoulders slumping from where they had unknowingly been held rigid.

"Don't mind him," Asru offered, with a gentle pat on the back. "He's just like that." He brightened somewhat. "Come on. I'll explain everything." The two friends continued down the hall side by side and from the open doorway a little kitten watched liking its paws contentedly.

_To Be Continued…_

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Authoress' Notes:

[1] Is an actual Egyptian name and so are the others except for Ouji and ones that will be later identified.

[2] Means 'protected by Set' I _think. I know _khu_ means protected so I tried to make the name. If anyone knows how to do it right please correct me._

Well, I hope you guys didn't mind the first part, but I mean what kind of story would this have been without Bakura? And as requested/threatened (_Chibi-chan _¬_¬), Yami and Seto finally meet. (Haha! I threw in Anzu!) Sorry about Yami, but I'm trying to slowly develop his character and I didn't think it would make sense to just make him super-confident all of a sudden. He's starting out more Yugi-like and growing from there. And how was my Bakura? I worked really hard to capture his personality.

I'm not sure how long the next chapter will take, but I believe it should focus around the Black Magician ('cause you like him so much _Hikari)._

Random Comment: I was thinking about it, and for some reason I imagine the BM's voice sounding like Yue from CCS (English version). 

**REVIEW!!**


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